Chapter Eleven

"Rose... what have you done?" Rick's voice made the seriousness of the situation sink in all at once, even through the radio.

"I had to." She replied.

"Have you any idea how dangerous what you did was? How wrong it could have gone?"

"Yes." She said simply.

"Then why did you do it?!" She winced at how angry he sounded.

"I had to." She shrugged despite him not being able to see her.

"We'll talk about this when I get home."

"Yes, Dad." She sneered thrusting the radio back at Michonne. "I wouldn't change it." She told the woman before storming off.


24 hours earlier


"Rose!" She heard her voice being shouted just as she was about to leave out of the gate. It had been just over a month since the re-building of the bridge had begun and progress was a little slow so she had decided to see how she could help. Turning she saw one of the younger men who sometimes helped with Negan, Eddie running towards her.

"What's up?"

"It's Negan."

"Of course..." She sighed. "What has he done?"

"You know how theres a bad bug goin' round?" He asked making Rose nod. "I think he's got it. I don't know what to do... Rick's out like always right now and Michonne's at Hilltop."

"Shit..." her shoulders dropped at the prospect of an ill Negan, what the hell was she supposed to do with one of those? "C'mon." She stared to walk back into Alexandria, towards where Negan was, with Eddie following. "Has he been vomiting?"

"Yeah..." Eddie sighed with a look of disgust. "Its seriously disgusting, man. I didn't sign up for that shit you know?!"

"I know." She sighed but all she could think about was poor Negan stuck in that cell so ill.

The smell hit her straight away, it was the unmistakeable scent of illness but in no way she'd ever smelt before and as she entered to see him all but collapsed over a bucket, dry heaving she couldn't help but panic.

"Negan!" She shouted. "Are you okay?" He just lifted his head with a look which made her imagine him saying 'are you fuckin' kiddin' me right now, princess?' in his mind.

"How long has he been like this?" She quickly asked Eddie.

"Shit.. I dunno. He was like this when I came in here this mornin'." She knew that must have meant he'd been like this at least four or five hours.

"Have you given him any water or anything?" She watched incredulously as the young man shook his head and majorly had to bite her tongue to stop her telling him how much of an idiot she thought he was.

What the hell was she supposed to do!? She couldn't keep him in here with no fresh air, no access to a toilet, a dirty floor and a bucket, it just wasn't right but where could she put him?!

"Fuck it." She said. "Give me the keys."

"Wh..what?"

"You heard me." Rose looked him dead in the eyes not backing down. "Give me the damn keys!"

"I can't. Rick said not to give them to anybody except Michonne..."

That shocked her and angered her in equal measures. Did Rick not trust her?

"Look at him!" She spat. "I couldn't give two fucks what Rick says he is not staying in that cell like this!"

"I can't..."

"If you don't give me those keys I will shove my foot so far up your god damn ass that you..."

"Woah woah woah... Rose there's no need for threats." Rose noticed his hand go to the gun on his hip. "I can't give you these keys. You can't let him out!" The young man looked so scared that Rose almost felt sorry for him, she understood, she really did that all this boy knew of Negan was the horrific things he had done.

"Take your hand off of your gun, Eddie." She said calmer now. "This is getting ridiculous. Just give me the keys so I can take him to the infirmary. That's where he needs to be... he's sick. I'll be careful." She stared at him hoping she was giving him her most trustworthy look. He seemed to be calming down and thinking about her requests when a banging from the bars next to them made them both jump, Negan had crashed into them exhaustedly.

"If you lay..." Negan's voice was weak but still rough enough to hold power which amazed her. "...one finger on her fuckin' head I swear to god one day I will make you regret ever leavin' your mama's pussy."

If Rose had thought Eddie had looked frightened before he now looked utterly terrified and her, too shocked at the effect Negan could still have on people even just through stories they had heard about him just stood there wide eyed and slack jawed.

"Okay but you better tell Rick it wasn't my fault." Eddie held his hands up with the keys hanging from one of his fingers which Rose snatched from him, quickly turning to unlock the gate. Later when everything was calmer she would realise that she hadn't thought twice about unlocking it, scooping her arm around his waist and helping him out and into the street with no handcuffs or back up.

Shocked by how light he felt she didn't struggle too much to get him there but was still out of breath by the time she helped him onto the random bed in the infirmary. He instantly laid down on it sighing loudly.

Grabbing the bag she still had on her back from nearly heading out she pulled out her water bottle, grabbed a couple of pillows and stood next to his bed.

"I know you're tired but I need you to drink this okay?" She said softly as she lifted him to push the comfy pillows underneath him, making him moan at the comfort he hadn't had in so long. He took the water and sipped it before relaxing back into the bed with a moan.

"You really are a fuckin' angel." He told her quietly.

"And you really are the devil." She laughed. "Did you see poor Eddie's face?"

"Served him fuckin' right..." He took a deep breath to fight away the nausea. "Even just for the thought of hurtin' you." Rose's heart squeezed at the sentiment, that he would care that much when he was so sick.

"How are you feeling?" She asked grabbing a cloth from the cabinet next to her and wetting it before lifting it to his forehead. His head leaned into the touch even though it was just a cloth, his eyes were heavy but still watching her with a look that Rose had seen many times before. A look that kept her questioning her sanity.

"Better now... thank you."

Rose shrugged. "It's nothing."

"No... it isn't." He sounded drowsy and she desperately hoped it was just exhaustion from the illness as she was not equipped to deal with anything else. "Sip a little more of this for me, okay." She told him as she passed him the bottle. After quickly checking his temperature which was higher than normal but nothing alarming she sat beside him quietly letting him sleep.

She knew it wouldn't be long until somebody came along disturbing their peace but until then she just sat alternating between watching him, feeling creepy about it and then looking out of the window. Every now and again patting his face down with the cold cloth to which he would push his face towards, she even stroked his head very gently the way she always liked when she was sick. He would make little sighing noises when she did certain things like stroke his head and it made it harder and harder to be able to connect this man with the one who did the crimes he was paying for now.

But she would always remember that it was he same man. How could she not?

Sure enough their peace was ruined as Siddiq entered the room followed by Eddie to see the prisoner and Rose both asleep. Rose still sat in the chair beside his bed only awakened by the loud clearing of the medics throat.

"Oh my god!" She cried as she jumped, Negan beside her groggily sitting up looking for what had made her cry out. "It's fine, lie down." She told him.

"Rose..." Siddiq said to Rose, warily watching Negan. "Can I talk to you? Eddie watch him."

"Oh don't leave me with Eddie..." Negan moaned only to stop whatever he was going to say with one pointed look from Rose.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He snapped at the woman once she had joined him out of the room.

"What do you mean?" Rose chose to act oblivious.

"Rick sends me back here because there's a bug going around... I get to the infirmary and Eddie's stood outside a nervous wreck saying you and Negan bullied him into giving you the keys!"

"That little shit..." She said through gritted teeth. "You're a doctor right... I honestly think you'd have done the same, I couldn't leave him in there! He has the bug and he was being sick into a bucket for gods sake... the conditions he's in aren't fit for a human nevermind a fucking sick one!" The more she talked about it the angrier she got at the fact that she had to explain basic empathy to people. "He needed fresh air, light, comfort, somewhere to be sick that wasn't a metre away!"

He seemed to take in everything she had said and then slowly nodded his head making Rose feel relieved that she might have at least one person on her side. "We'll keep him here until he's better... it usually clears within twenty four hours."

"Thank you." She sighed.

"Don't thank me... you're right." He smiled at her before going to walk back in. "Im gonna go check him over, you coming?"

"Of course." She followed him in and stayed there the whole time before sitting back down next to him.

It was turning dark when Rose trying to get Negan to eat was interrupted. Michonne entered the infirmary to see Rose stood at Negan's bedside holding a bowl and laughing at something he had said, no handcuffs in sight.

"What the hell is this?!" Michonne snapped.

The pair turned to the other woman, Rose's eyes wide while Negan had his usual grin upon his face. He saw Rose's entire body stiffen as she stood in front of his bed and he realised she was standing herself between him and Michonne, he wanted to get out of bed and stand up next to her but he knew it wouldn't help.

"He's sick."

"That's why he's locked up, Rose."

"No..." Rose sighed. "He's actually sick. You know the bug that's been going around? He has it."

"That doesn't explain why he's here."

"You expect me to leave him in a dark, damp cell to be sick into a bucket?" Rose asked with a slight edge to her voice.

"Yes." Michonne said completely stone faced. "Other people have it and I don't see them in the infirmary."

"Yeah because they have houses..."

"He's going back to his cell." Michonne said walking over to them. "Now."

"No. He isn't." Rose held her ground for him, yet again.

"Rose..." Michonne said warningly.

"I couldn't give a shit what you or anybody else has to say this man is sick for gods sake and I am not letting him go back into that cell!"

Negan for once was completely lost for words seeing this woman stand up for him was something he had never expected.

"He's being cuffed to the bed then."

"What if he has to be sick?"

"Your problem not mine."

Rose let out a sound that came close to a growl making Negan watch her in admiration. Sure Rose could handle herself but Michonne was on another level and had a massive sword.

"Rose. I feel a lot better..." he said gently. As much as he preferred the comfy bed and the pillows and having her next to him without bars he didn't want to cause any trouble for her.

"No..." her voice quivered as her shoulders fell.

"It's okay..." he said softly from behind her, completely thrown off by her emotional reaction.

Only a single tear left her eyes before she composed herself, not wanting to show either of the other people in the room how she truly felt about this. Which was just... so unbelievably sad. She cared about Negan no matter if it was just out of concern for another human or a connection with him... she didn't know and it didn't matter. All she knew is that she was sad when she thought of him all alone in that cell.

When she thought about him sick and nobody caring.

Sad at the thought of people not even giving him the time of day when he was probably just so lonely and bored.

That he wouldn't ever have a normal life...

He would never be able to be with someone.

"No! No it's not!" She shouted. "This is cruel! The whole thing is so cruel. For fucks sake he'd be better off dead! Rick decided to keep him alive so it's his responsibility to give him the basic fucking human rights! I'm sick of everyone pretending he's not down there!" Her voice cracked but she kept herself strong. "He is sick." She said with a tone of finality.

"I'm going to radio Rick."

"Yeah you do that!" Rose snapped as she watched the woman leave the room.

"Rose..." Negan started.

"Don't..." she held her hand up to stop him still feeling a little vulnerable and not wanting to talk about it but of course Negan didn't care. He grabbed the wrist of the hand she held up and dragged her to where he was sitting on the bed, wrapping his arms around her, one hand on the back of her head to hold her in the crook of his neck.

She stood between his legs in a very intimate way and let her arms fall around his waist as she let it all out.

"Why the fuck am I the one who's crying?!" She laughed in between tears.

"Is it that time of the month, darlin?" His voice was a quiet rumble, her favourite way to hear his voice. She punched him in the side while her other arm still wrapped around him. "Seriously though, Rose." He held her face inbetween his hands and looked her in the eyes. "I don't deserve you're tears... I did things that I chose to do. Bad, fucked up shit." He pulled her back into the crook of his neck rocking side to side. "I don't deserve them. I don't." He whispered.

"I know you don't..." she cried knowing that part of the reason that she was so upset was the confusion she felt towards her feelings for him. Her thoughts were disrupted by the feel of something hard digging into her belly, when she realised what it was she gasped jumping backwards.

"Oh my god! Negan! Way to ruin the moment."

He just sat there laughing loudly watching the beautiful woman who had caused the perfectly normal male reaction in him blushing like crazy.

"What?! I'm human ya know... when a beautiful woman's presss up against me..."

"Yeah yeah I know it's been a while." She scoffed. He didn't want her to think that what happened was something he couldn't control, hell, sure it had been a while but that didn't make him some pre pubescent boy again. It was her that made him not be able to control himself.

"A long while of imagining all the things I'd do to you, Rose." He rasped making the room suddenly go very hot as she stood there not knowing what to do or say, he could see that he had an effect on her and with anybody else he would have pointed it out more. Probably made fun of her for it. But not Rose. Taking pity on her he gestured towards the bowl of soup she had been forcing on him earlier. "Let me try some of that. If I can keep it down take me back to that hell hole."

"Okay. Deal." She nodded before passing him the soup.

Much to both Rose and Negan's disappointment the watery soup and stale bread stayed down and he was walked back to his cell by Eddie and Siddiq. Apparently Michonne was waiting for Rose with a radio call from Rick.

Great.

A/N

So I had a full on Christmas and new year is being a chill one for me so I finished the last of this chapter before I pop open a bottle of something.

Enjoy.

Thank you to my favourite reviewer eruditeamber! Your in depth reviews really give me motivation from seeing somebody is enjoying what I'm writing.

Happy New Year guys!